


whatever may come (your heart I will choose)

by cherryraindrops



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Greaser AU, M/M, Royalty AU, Wild West AU, mentioned child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 16:40:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19277284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryraindrops/pseuds/cherryraindrops
Summary: Even if Fate wasn't kind, just like always, Ryan had a feeling they'd meet. Again and again, over and over, through many lives and across boundless times.





	whatever may come (your heart I will choose)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gookiebun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gookiebun/gifts).



> A late birthday present for one of my favorite people, Bun. Hope you enjoy it, and happy belated birthday <3 (art by demoncowedgar on tumblr)

**Achievement City, 300 AC**

The stars tonight are brighter than they have ever been, Jeremy realizes. It could be that he hasn’t been out to star gaze in some time, having been assigned far more duties than he previously anticipated in the past few months. It’s left little time for him to sit outside on the balcony of his room, to spend some time with himself surrounded by the various plants and flora the Queen placed around the balcony to bring color to the castle.

It became his only escape from his parents, who came to this neighboring kingdom in the hopes to marry their son off to the prince and unite the kingdoms. Jeremy understood that he had a duty to fulfill with this proposal, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be married off to a man he hardly knew, a man he had only met a total of three times in his lifetime.

That was all before he got to know the prince. All before the prince had to go off and make Jeremy fall in love with him with every little smile, he threw Jeremy’s way and the gestures he did out of the kindness of his heart rather than an attempt to sway Jeremy into his bed. They haven’t even reached that level yet: hell, Jeremy was certain that Ryan didn’t know how he truly felt. It certainly would help their situation, with their parents now at each other’s throats about wedding arrangements for their sons that threaten to tear the kingdoms apart more now than ever.

An escape is exactly what Jeremy needed, and he will take whatever precious minutes he has out here.

“May I join you?” a voice speaks from the doorway, just above a whisper. Jeremy turns his attention away from the sky to see Prince Ryan standing before him, dressed in the same attire he wore previously at the banquet their parents held. The crown on his head is slightly crooked, a charming statement if you asked Jeremy.

“You may,” Jeremy allows, holding a hand out to gesture to a spot nearby. Ryan doesn’t say anything as he takes a seat, his own eyes looking towards the stars. “Are they still arguing down there?”

Ryan sighs, a hand reaching out to softly touch the petals of one of the various roses growing around the balcony’s siding. “Unfortunately. I doubt they will ever reach a compromise if they keep with screaming their opinions at one another.” He removes one of the roses, twirling it carefully between his fingers. “Jack said you come out here often to escape all of that. It is rather beautiful out here.”

Jeremy hums, his eyes going back towards the sky with a soft smile on his face. “It’s the only place in this entire castle I can be alone with my thoughts and have the best view of the stars. I don’t know much about constellations and such, but I do like to come out here and just witness the sky for all it’s worth.” He turns to Ryan. “What about you? How do you escape?”

“I don’t,” Ryan admits sadly, dropping the rose from the balcony. Jeremy watches as it falls into the trees below. “There are very little places to escape to in this castle, nothing like this. I wasn’t even aware we had a balcony with such beauty. My room doesn’t have much to look at beyond the rest of the castle.” He turns away from the railing of the balcony, adjusting the crown on his head. It’s perfectly straight now, perfect. Jeremy finds himself resenting it. “I usually lock myself in my room and read.”

“Reading isn’t a bad escape,” Jeremy moves closer to the prince, reaching a hand out to touch Ryan’s. “In fact, books are the perfect escape for those who cannot. It gives us a chance to witness a world beyond our own, to live another life and forget about the one we are forced to live. I see nothing wrong with that.”

Ryan’s hand curls around Jeremy’s, flipping it over until their fingers and interlocked. It’s a warm rush up Jeremy’s arm, flushing his cheeks. “Is that what the stars are for you? The possibility of a world beyond here you can escape to?”

There’s a part of Jeremy’s heart that is screaming at high volume right now, beating against his chest with all its might. It demands to be heard, to tell Ryan how the perfect escape would have to include him, would have to be the two of them together, getting away from the politics their family was forced upon them, the arrangements. It didn’t matter that those arrangements brought them together, it was the intentions that were hurting them.

Jeremy’s perfect escape had to include the prince holding his hand, no exceptions.

“Yes,” Jeremy whispers, only loud enough for them to hear. His free hand reaches up to the crown on Ryan’s head, tilting it just so, and a gentle smile appears on Ryan’s face. “I want an adventure out beyond the kingdom, but what would that adventure be if I was alone for it all?”

Ryan reaches a hand up, catching Jeremy’s in his own as he pulls the man closer. “I would be honored to travel with you if you’d have me.”

Jeremy’s heart beats erratically now, a warmth spreading through his body as he boldly presses his lips against the awaiting ones of Prince Ryan’s. Ryan welcomes the kiss greatly, wrapping his arms around Jeremy tightly to keep the man close to him, his lips moving gently against Jeremy’s own. The kiss feels like a promise, a confirmation that any future adventures they take would be with the other by their side through it all, regardless of what came.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else,” Jeremy assures him once they’ve broken apart, their foreheads still pressed against one another. He looks up towards the stars, smiling softly at them as he leans himself against Ryan. “Nobody else.”

**New Achievement, 1870**

If his mother was still alive, she would be incredibly disappointed in her son. Tears would fill her eyes as she took witness to her son reaching for his revolver strapped to his side, taking aim as the town’s sheriff pulls his own weapon from his holster. Both are quick at the draw, but it’s Jeremy who manages to pull the trigger first and sends the sheriff to the dirt with a bullet wound between his eyes.

His mother wouldn’t approve of him being an outlaw, a dirty, no good scoundrel going town to town looking for money and crime. This wouldn’t be the life she wanted for him. He was raised to be a good boy, to marry a woman a town over and inherit the land her family boasted. Things were supposed to play out in a way that made him a rich man with power, not a poor man barely getting by with robbing trains and getting shot at.

The deputy doesn’t seem all the upset at the Sheriff’s predicament, offering a smirk towards Jeremy as he reaches into his pockets and pulls out a wad of cash. “Nice reflexes there, Tim. Color me impressed.” He tosses the bills in Jeremy’s direction, who catches them easily. “Where you headed to next? I have some more bounties you can take care of here if you’d like.”

Jeremy shrugs, stuffing the bills into his satchel at his hip. He steps towards the deputy with a growing smile, laced with flirtatious intent. “Sounds like you want me to stick around for a bit. Any reason for that?”

The deputy turns pink, adjusting the brim of his hat as he avoids direct eye contact with the scoundrel. “You are a damn good shot, can’t find someone like that around here. Maybe you should consider joining me as my new deputy, help run this town.” It’s a miracle he gets through the sentence without stumbling over his words, as Jeremy’s learned from the past week being in New Achievement. The deputy looked as though he exuded confidence, but underneath was clumsy, amusing. He was endearing, captivating in Jeremy’s eyes.

Jeremy reaches his hand up towards the deputy’s ponytail, fingers running through the blonde hair. “Not sure I’d make a great lawman. If you haven’t noticed, Deputy Haywood, I’m not great at following the rules.”

“Can’t say I’m the best either,” Haywood grins, hand gripping Jeremy’s wrist and leading the hand to his lips. He kisses the open palm. Jeremy feels his skin light on fire. “Maybe that’s what makes us perfect, don’t you think?”

Jeremy was foolish for allowing himself to fall deep into those blue eyes, for allowing himself to become enamored with someone on his long journey. He didn’t have time to think about someone, to protect someone else other than himself from his criminal activities. Even if the deputy wasn’t righteous himself, he didn’t want to risk losing someone he cared about.

Yet, he couldn’t deny how the deputy made him feel. His journey across the west was tiresome, lonely, and having company had been rather nice. Deputy Haywood was a companion he longed for, without even realizing it.

“Maybe so,” Jeremy agrees, bringing the deputy down to his lips. “Maybe so.”

**Germany, 1942**

There had always been that thought in the back of Ryan’s mind, that the two of them making it out of this war alive was unlikely. They had been lucky throughout the war, if luck is what you would call it, with being paired together and working together to keep each other alive. There weren’t any close calls that could have ended things, a while they had lost fellow soldiers throughout the duration of the war, they had yet to lose each other.

Luck always ran out.

Jeremy wasn’t making it off the battlefield. Ryan could see him from the middle of No Man’s Land, wounded from a previous mortar that had taken their group by surprise. A few guys surrounded him, each with their eyes wide open in fear and blood coating their uniforms. Soldiers that were never going to make it home to their families, that would never see their loved ones again. Ryan couldn’t let Jeremy suffer the same fate, he _couldn’t._

Jeremy sees him, locks eyes with him as Ryan manages to crawl towards his fallen friend, the man he so desperately wants to save. It wasn’t fair that this would be how he went out. Jeremy was supposed to live a long life, marry someone he loved dearly and have children, grows old with them.

He was supposed to grow old with Ryan, and now the universe has chosen to take that away.

Just as Ryan makes it to his friend, just as his hands reach for Jeremy’s face to confess that he loves him, that he can’t die like this, that they are going to be okay, another mortar goes off. Ryan feels something sharp pierce through his throat, silencing him as he collapses onto his friend as blood pours from his wound. He swears he hears Jeremy scream, but that too is silenced by yet another explosion.

There was a time before they were drafted, before the world fell apart, that Ryan told himself he would gladly die for Jeremy.

**Austin, 1958**

The side of town Jeremy lives on always scared Ryan. It was always dimly lit at night, and the chances of being mugged around here were high as ever. Wrapping his arms around himself, Ryan slowly approaches the Dooley household, remembering Jeremy’s direction to the place he’d been given near the beginning of…whatever it was that they were.

He doesn’t call Jeremy his boyfriend. He wasn’t even sure if that’s what Jeremy was looking for in their arrangement. Sure, Ryan was more than willing to be with Jeremy in the most romantic sense, but that wasn’t something that Jeremy was known for around town. Regardless of the reputation the man held, Ryan fell for him, even if he knew that it would bite him in the ass later on.

He knocks on the door gently, jumping back when Jeremy opens the door instantly. What had started as a welcoming smile suddenly drops into a look of concern as his hands fly to Ryan’s face, cupping it and tracing the mark around Ryan’s eye. “Who hurt you?” He asks, looking murderous.

“I’m okay,” Ryan assures him, holding Jeremy’s wrists. “Dad just didn’t like seeing how my grade in Math isn’t where it should be is all.” He follows Jeremy into the house, letting him lead him down a long hallway to what he believes is Jeremy’s bedroom. He sits down on the edge of the bed, the only light available in the room coming from a small lamp on Jeremy’s nightstand and the faint trace of the moon outside peering through the curtains.

“That asshole hurt you,” Jeremy growls, reaching for a first aid kit on his desk and opening it. He cups Ryan’s chin with his hand, cleaning one of the nastier cuts on that man’s face. “I don’t care who he is, I will confront him myself and kick his ass. Nobody hits my boyfriend and gets away with it.”

Ryan’s never been good with words. He can flub his way through a sentence, stumbled over the simplest terms. In this moment, with his face flushed and heart beating faster by the minute, he didn’t need words. Instead, he presses his lips against Jeremy’s, hands resting on the man’s shoulders as he deepens the kiss and allows Jeremy to push him back into his bed.

“Boyfriend,” Ryan smiles against Jeremy’s lips, the man matching his grin. “I like being that.”

“Good,” Jeremy exhales. “That means I’m going to protect you from your father, protect you from everyone who dares lay a finger on you.” He presses his lips to Ryan’s bruised eye, thumb tracing his cheek. “I am all yours, Ryan.”

If Ryan had any remaining doubt about his position with Jeremy, it vanishes the minute those words are spoken, the minute Jeremy kisses him once again and his hands hold him as if he’s the most precious thing he’s held in his life.

Jeremy would always protect him, always.

**Los Santos, 2019**

Ryan isn’t sure what draws him towards the new guy in the crew. There was a chance that the guy’s gaudy outfit was some sort of beacon for people, something that hurt your eyes while simultaneously drawing people closer. He could defend himself easily enough without Ryan having to step in and help him, and he didn’t complain when he wasn’t involved in certain aspects of the heist.

They are alone in a bar after a training session one night, the rest of the crew having fucked off elsewhere with each other. Jeremy had been talking about the day’s events, laughing about how angry the store owner of a place they hit was as they ran away from the scene of the crime, how the police sent them on a chase into the mountains. There’s a delighted smile on his face as he laughs with Ryan about things, and despite having known the guy for barely a week, Ryan feels _comfortable._

“We need a place up in the mountains,” Jeremy declares, taking a drink of his mixer. “Being in the city, you can’t see the stars very well. Too many city lights, too many buildings. If the crew had a place in the mountains, it would be a nice view _and_ far more peaceful to focus on heists and stuff. The stars could be an escape from the crazy, you know?”

“It would be a pain in the ass to get to,” Ryan shakes his head, reaching for the new Diet Coke the bartender has poured him. “Too far from the city, Geoff would never go for it. I agree with you, though. It would be nice to see the stars again.” It’s strange to have this conversation, not because Jeremy’s the new guy but because _he swears, they’ve talked about this before._

Jeremy hums against the rim of his drink. “Fair point.” He drops the glass back onto the bar top, shaking his head when the bartender asks if he wants another. “Thanks for putting up with me this week, by the way. I know bringing in someone new is a pain in the ass.”

“Usually,” Ryan admits, still unable to shake the feeling of déjà vu. “I guess with you it felt natural like I didn’t have to try. I knew you would have my back, that you would be able to protect the rest of the crew and hold your own.” Off Jeremy’s raised eyebrow, he clarifies, “This might sound crazy, but I just have the strangest feeling that I’ve known you for longer than just a week? Is that just me?”

Jeremy doesn’t look at him like he’s crazy, nor does he dismiss Ryan. Instead, he simply smiles. “Maybe it’s fate, Mr. Vagabond. Something tells me the two of us were meant to meet. Who are we to question fate?” He reaches forward to smack Ryan’s arm, something any other person would lose their arm for doing. However, when Jeremy does it, Ryan can’t help but feel lighthearted.

“I guess you’re right,” Ryan admits, downing the last of his Diet Coke. “Let’s just hope fate is kind to us, huh?”


End file.
